Health Secretary Hunt has thrown his hat into the ring for the leadership of the Conservative Party and prime minister’s office while calling for any deal struck between Brussels and Westminster to be voted on in a fresh referendum.

The controversial MP, who campaigned for Britain to remain in the EU, argues that he wanted to keep Britain’s links to the European single market, but implement “sensible restrictions” on migration.

Hunt is not the first to come forward for David Cameron’s job – former London Mayor Boris Johnson has long eyed the position. Brexiteer Liam Fox has also confirmed his bid.

“They are not going to choose someone who does not accept the verdict of the British people,” Hunt said, while rejecting the idea that a new leader had to come from the eurosceptic camp.

“But I think now we’ve got to move beyond that argument.

“We are leaving the EU and we have got to have a discussion about the kind of country we want to be.”

He suggested that Britain should follow the “Norway-plus model” under which membership in the single market remained.

“But what we need is something else, which is a sensible restriction on the free movement rules which have created the immigration that has worried a lot of people."

His candidacy was not warmly received by some members of the public, who think his role in the junior doctor dispute was contemptible.

If @Jeremy_Hunt bounces from the Murdoch crisis to the Junior Doctors Strike to Tory Leader and Prime Minister I am leaving the country.

Osborne quipped on Tuesday that while he was not officially backing any of the candidates, the best next PM would be “the candidate who is able now to articulate the clearest, crispest version of what relationship we are seeking [with EU].”